Don’t do it Kellen!

John Patrick-Idaho Sports Talk Producer  @JPktik

On Wednesday’s Idaho Sports Talk, Kellen Moore said something most Bronco fans wanted to hear. He would love the opportunity to coach at Boise State when his NFL playing days are over. I’ve got some unsolicited advice for Kellen. Don’t do it.

Sure, every fan would welcome the Bronco legend who went 50-3 as a starting quarterback and was a Heisman Trophy finalist. Who wouldn’t want to see a guy on the sidelines who slew the big powers like Oregon, Georgia and Virginia Tech. Unless it’s in a lesser role than head coach or offensive coordinator, I would advise him to stay away. Kellen Moore’s legend should never be tarnished. However, that’s what could happen if he returned to Boise and couldn’t equal as a coach what he did as a player.

In the end, even Chris Petersen became a victim of his own success. After an 8-4 season in 2013, a lot of fans started to turn on Coach Pete. When he took the University of Washington job, fans became even more vocal. It was “don’t let the door hit you in the ass on the way out” type of vocal. When Bryan Harsin returned to his alma mater, he was welcomed with open arms and promptly led Boise State to a third Fiesta Bowl win. Since then he’s posted an 11-5 record in Mountain West Conference games, and fans have started to question his abilities and methods. Fandom can turn ugly!

At Boise State, Kellen Moore would instantly be compared to Chris Petersen and himself. Those are unrealistic expectations. When Kellen starts to cut his teeth in the coaching profession, he may very well return to Boise. If so, I hope it’s as a quarterback coach where he can share his wisdom of the game and then move on to bigger and better things. I would prefer to admire his accomplishments and failures from afar.

Kellen Moore’s legendary status at Boise State doesn’t need to grow, but it would be a shame if it was ever diminished.